LOS ANGELES – UCLA (15-12, 6-8) hits the road this week, playing at California (19-8, 9-5) on Thursday night. Game time at Haas Pavilion is 6 p.m. (PT). The Bruins' game at Cal will be nationally televised on ESPN2. The Bruins have not faced the Golden Bears this year. This marks the first season since 1956-57 in which California will not play UCLA at the Bruins' home facility.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Haas Pavilion (11,877)
Game Time: 6 p.m. (PT)
Television: ESPN2
TV Talent: Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Bill Walton (analyst)
Radio: AM 570
Radio Talent: Bill Roth (play-by-play), Darrick Martin (analyst)
SIRIUS/XM Channels: Ch. 145/Ch. 197
ABOUT THE BRUINS
- The Bruins have gone 15-12 and have just four regular-season games remaining, two on the road this week and two at home the following week ... three of UCLA's wins this season have come against teams ranked in the Associated Press top-25 poll – No. 1 Kentucky (Dec. 3), at No. 20 Gonzaga (Dec. 12) and No. 7 Arizona (Jan. 7).
- Most recently, Isaac Hamilton scored a team-leading 22 points (including 17 in the first half) to lead UCLA past Colorado, 77-53, in Pauley Pavilion on Saturday, Feb. 20 ... two days earlier, the Bruins came up short in a furious second-half rally against Utah, dropping a 75-73 decision at home against the Utes.
- The Bruins are currently amidst a seven-game stretch that features five road games ... prior to last week's home games against Utah and Colorado, UCLA played consecutive road games at USC, Arizona and Arizona State ... the Bruins will close their regular-season schedule at home versus Oregon (March 2) and Oregon State (March 5).
- UCLA is the only Pac-12 team to have at least two scorers in the conference's top 10 (Isaac Hamilton is fourth with 17.0 ppg, Bryce Alford ranks sixth with 16.1 ppg) ... UCLA and Colorado are the only Pac-12 teams with two players among the league's top 10 rebounders (Tony Parker is fifth with 8.8 rpg, Thomas Welsh ranks seventh with 8.2 rpg).
FACING THE GOLDEN BEARS
Last season, UCLA and California split a pair of regular-season games, with each team winning the contest on its home court. Most recently, California (19-8, 9-5) won a pair of road games at Washington (W, 78-75) and at Washington State (W, 80-62) last Thursday and Sunday, respectively. In fact, the Golden Bears have won their last five games, all against Pac-12 opponents. Under the direction of second-year head coach Cuonzo Martin, California has gone 19-8 this season, posting a 9-5 mark in Pac-12 play. The Golden Bears are 16-0 at home (Haas Pavilion). They have won four of their last five games against UCLA at Haas Pavilion, including a 64-62 win on Feb. 7, 2015. Freshman Jaylen Brown leads the team in scoring (15.7 ppg).
STREAKIN'
Junior guard Isaac Hamilton has scored in double figures in 23 consecutive games for UCLA, the longest such streak since 2007-08, when freshman Kevin Love scored at least 10 points in all 39 games. Hamilton has scored in double figures in each of UCLA's 14 Pac-12 games. Prior to Hamilton's streak of 22 straight games, freshman Shabazz Muhammad scored in double figures in each of UCLA's final 19 games during the 2012-13 campaign. Hamilton ranks fourth in the Pac-12 in scoring (17.0 ppg) and eighth in three-point field goals made per game (1.9).
FRESHMAN PLAYMAKER
Aaron Holiday, a freshman guard who starred at nearby Campbell Hall High School, has averaged 10.7 points, 3.9 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game, starting all 27 contests. He ranks fifth in the Pac-12 in steals per game (1.5) and ninth in assists per game (3.9). Among Pac-12 freshmen, Holiday ranks third in the league in three-point field goal percentage (41.0, 32-for-78) and second in steals per game (1.5). In addition, he has made 28 of his last 34 free throw attempts (82.4 percent), shooting 73.2 percent overall from the free throw line (60 for 82).
BRUINS ON THE BOARDS
Tony Parker and Thomas Welsh rank first and second, respectively, among all Pac-12 players in offensive rebounds. Parker, who ranks fifth in the league in total rebounds per game (8.8 rpg), has registered 3.4 offensive boards per game. Welsh, the league's seventh-leading rebounder (8.2 rpg), has averaged 3.2 offensive rebounds per contest. Parker and Welsh have each recorded nine double-doubles, tied for the fifth-highest total among Pac-12 players. The Bruins' duo has grabbed 41.3 percent of UCLA's total rebounds (450 of 1089).
SCORE AND DISTRIBUTE
Bryce Alford has averaged 16.1 points per game, a league-leading 5.5 assists per game and 4.0 rebounds per game. UCLA's second-leading scorer, Alford ranks third in the Pac-12 in assist-turnover ratio (2.7). He has not committed more than three turnovers in any of the team's last 13 games, logging 77 assists and 18 turnovers over that span (4.28 assist-turnover ratio). With a conference-leading 149 assists, Alford has become UCLA's first player since Earl Watson (1998-2001) to have dished at least 100 assists in each of his first three seasons.
1,000 POINT CLUB
Bryce Alford and Tony Parker have each crossed the 1,000 point mark at UCLA this season. Alford, currently at 1,284 career points, accomplished the feat during UCLA's 71-66 victory at No. 20 Gonzaga on Dec. 12. Parker scored career point No. 1,000 against Washington in Pauley Pavilion (Jan. 28). Parker became the fourth UCLA player in the last three seasons to have recorded his 1,000th career point (joining Alford, Jordan Adams and Norman Powell). Parker has also moved into the No. 20 slot on the school's all-time rebounds list (669, one shy of Toby Bailey's 670 career boards).
NEXT SATURDAY
After UCLA plays at California on Thursday night, the Bruins will travel south to play at Stanford on Saturday (1:30 p.m., PT). Last season, UCLA won both regular-season contests against Stanford. Under the direction of eighth-year head coach Johnny Dawkins, Stanford has gone 13-12 this season with a 6-8 record in Pac-12 play. Most recently, the Cardinal split road games at Washington State (W, 72-56) and at Washington (L, 64-53) last weekend. Rosco Allen leads Stanford in scoring (15.6 ppg) and ranks second on the team in rebounding (6.5 rpg).
UCLA vs. STANFORD
After having lost six consecutive games to Stanford from Jan. 2003 through Feb. 2005, UCLA has won 18 of its last 22 games versus the Cardinal. The Bruins lead the all-time series, 142-92.
SOPHOMORE SURGE
Sophomore center Thomas Welsh has significantly improved his production as a starter for the Bruins this season, averaging 11.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Last summer, he helped the USA Basketball U-19 men's team win the gold medal at the FIBA World Championships on the island of Crete in Greece. As a freshman for the Bruins last season, Welsh averaged 3.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game as a key contributor off the bench. This year, Welsh ranks third among Pac-12 players in field goal percentage (59.8), having made 134 of 224 total shot attempts.
AT THE STRIPE
Junior guard Bryce Alford leads all Pac-12 players in free throw percentage (84.7). He entered the season having shot 82.4 percent from the free throw line and has moved into sixth place on UCLA's all-time free throw percentage list (83.2 pct), behind former teammate Jordan Adams (fourth place) and all-time NBA great Reggie Miller (fifth place). Alford's current single-season percentage (84.7) is the highest by any UCLA player since 2009, when Darren Collison concluded his senior year shooting 89.7 percent from the free throw line.
NEWS AND NOTES
- During the Bruins' 14 conference games, junior guard Isaac Hamilton has averaged a team-best 18.5 points per game (the second-highest average in the Pac-12) … during that 14-game span, he has shot 50.0 percent from the field (98-196) ... in league games, Hamilton has shot 46.4 percent from 3-point range, the fifth-highest percentage in the conference.
- Sophomore guard/forward Jonah Bolden made his seventh start of the season last Saturday evening versus Colorado ... he totaled a season-high 16 points and had nine rebounds at Arizona State (Feb. 14) ... Bolden has scored in double figures four times this season and has recorded at least 10 rebounds in three games.
- Last Saturday marked the 100th game for Steve Alford as UCLA's head coach ... when the Bruins play at Stanford on Saturday, he will be coaching in his 800th career game (as a head coach) ... his career record of 528-270 spans 25 seasons ... his head coaching career began at Manchester College (NCAA Division III) during the 1991-92 season.